Wrongful Death Lawsuit Filed in Fatal Hospital Bed Fall

The son of an 83 year old West Virginia woman has filed a wrongful death lawsuit claiming she died as a result of injuries suffered after falling out of her hospital bed.

Richard Hornick’s mother, Mary, passed away just months after she fell from her hospital bed while she was a patient at the Thomas Memorial Hospital.  His lawsuit claims that her fall was as a result of the negligence of hospital staff.

On December 8, 2007, while Ms. Hornick was an inpatient at the hospital, she was not properly monitored by staff and tumbled from her bed as a result.  The fall caused severe bruising, cuts on her head and arm and a hematoma.  The lawsuit claims that Ms. Hornick should have been monitored more closely because she met the hospital’s high-risk category.

Six months later, the victim died at a nursing facility.  The cause of her death was determined to be primarily due to dementia, but the secondary cause was listed as a cerebrovascular accident, in other words, the fall.

Hospital falls can be so dangerous that the FDA has released a guide to hospital bed safety.

Know someone who suffered after a dangerous fall from a hospital bed?  You should also know your rights.  A medical attorney can explain them to you.